updated 09:30 pm EST, Sun January 6, 2008

Sony Mylo 2

Sony this evening is hoping to rekindle interest in its Mylo communicator with its completely overhauled COM-2 model. The new version has a much sharper 800x480, 3.5-inch touchscreen display and comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera for snapping photos to upload and share with friends. It also recognizes the reality of Web 2.0 content, according to the company; it now supports basic web browsing with Flash video and includes widgets for Facebook, Google, YouTube, and RSS reading. AIM instant messaging is added to the original mix alongside Skype calling.

It can also serve as a media player and comes with 1GB of internal storage to play MPEG-4 videos or AAC/ATRAC/MP3/WMA music; it additionally recognizes and can subscribe to podcasts, Sony says. While still connecting to the Internet using only 802.11 (now at 802.11g), a special deal with McDonald's gives access to the fast-food chain's Wi-Fi spots for free until the end of 2010. It ships by the end of January in customizable black and white models for $300.

People astound me

So you are complaining that it doesn't have full-time web access. Do you really need full-time web access? I don't. This is the type of machine that I would use at my university where I study and, in a few years, will teach. One of its best features is the Skype VOIP. I used this feature on the last Mylo to keep in touch with my wife in Japan and it worked well (and it was cheap).

The device is marketed at folks around the age of 18-22 (college age) who have access to the web at school. What is the problem?

If you want 24-hour internet access and cell phone access, go buy a smart phone and pay that 70 bucks a month.